What is the Ukrainian step famous for? Ukrainian steppe nature reserve. Biosphere Reserve "Askania-Nova"

The route runs through the sacred Khortitsa and Kamennaya Mogila, the unique Askania-Nova nature reserve with a virgin steppe and rich nature, passes by the largest sandy desert of Europe and ends on the sea coast near the largest island of the Black Sea - Dzharylgach.

Khortytsya

In the heart of one of the most industrial cities in Ukraine, not far from the huge dam of the DneproGES, there is one of the most sacred sights for Ukrainians - the cradle of the Ukrainian Cossacks, the island of Khortytsya.

Khortytsya Island is located in the middle of the Dnieper riverbed, which is wide in these places. Earlier, before the appearance of the DneproGES, there were rapids upstream of the river, which gave the name of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, because it was, as it were, "beyond the rapids". However, in the middle of the last century, during the construction of a hydroelectric power station, all the rapids, and with them most of the lands that belonged to the Cossacks, were flooded during the formation of the reservoir.

Nowadays, on the island of Khortytsya there is the National Reserve "Khortytsya", which includes the historical and cultural complex "Zaporizhzhya Sich". Its expositions are devoted to the life and way of life of the Cossacks. Here you can see with your own eyes and visit the housing of the Cossacks and the ataman, outbuildings, a hut, a church, etc.

Photo from Flickr (by dmytro.golub)

Stone Grave

From Zaporizhzhya we go south, towards Melitopol, to the village of Mirnoe, where there is an amazing place with the mysterious name "Stone Grave". More than sixty grottoes, caves, clusters of huge (the size of a five-story building!) Yellow-black stones, and a little further - the underground world with a suite of halls and corridors - all this is a natural formation.

Photo from stonegrave.org

In this place, since ancient times, people left inscriptions and drawings on soft sandstone (the oldest date back to the 7th - 3rd millennium BC). All the most interesting things were found in the caves. Despite the fact that there are a large number of drawings and inscriptions, the most interesting caves are deliberately filled in so that visitors do not add modern inscriptions to the Stone Age petroglyphs.

Photo from stonegrave.org

Many legends "live" on the territory of the Stone Grave. It is believed that this object is a time-destroyed pyramid or ziggurat of the ancient Amazon tribe. Female warriors presumably lived just in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bpresent Melitopol and its environs.

Biosphere Reserve "Askania-Nova"

From Melitopol we go south along the E105 highway towards Genichesk, before reaching which there will be a turn to the right, to the P47 highway, and then to the right - to the town of Askania-Nova. Next to it is the biosphere reserve of the same name, which includes a zoo and an arboretum, as well as a unique area of ​​​​absolutely protected steppe that has never been cultivated by man.

Photo from iloveukraine.com.ua

A huge variety of plants, birds and animals from all over the world, from African zebras to American bison, has been collected on the territory of the reserve.

The vegetation changes its color throughout the year: in April, tulips and irises blaze here, in May, feather grass blooms, in summer the steppe grasses form a real green sea, and in autumn the steppe becomes like a bright and soft multi-colored carpet.

The fauna of the reserve is also rich and varied and includes more than a thousand species of animals, including arthropods and reptiles, mammals and almost 300 species of birds.

Photo from Flickr (by 2bpatchett)

The reserve is protected by UNESCO, is included in the list of 7 Wonders of Ukraine, and in the world voting for 7 natural wonders of the planet "Askania-Nova" took 14th place.

In Askania-Nova, you can spend the night in hotels located near the reserve, or at the campsite.

Oleshkovsky Sands

After Askania-Nova to Chaplinka and past Novaya Kakhovka we move further to the west, after large forests and just before Kherson there will be a left turn onto the E97 highway, along it we reach Radensk, or Big Kopany.

Near these settlements there is the largest sand massif in Europe - Oleshkovsky Sands. 210,000 hectares of land with a unique landscape and nature.

According to the traditional classification, the Oleshkovsky sands are semi-desert. In summer, the sand heats up to 70 degrees Celsius, the air collects in hot updrafts and disperses rain clouds, so there is very little precipitation here, much less than in the surrounding regions. You can even get caught in a sandstorm.

During the time of Herodotus, dense forests grew in these places, but subsequently they were cut down by the local population. The forests were replaced by the steppe with small sandy massifs created thanks to the infliction of the Dnieper.

Oleshkovsky Sands is a sea of ​​dunes that stretches as far as the eye can see. Some vegetation grows on these dunes in some places, there are small lakes-salt marshes, near which there are usually more plants.

Photo from Flickr (by Pid_rukzak)

The sand here is very fine and light and easily carried by the wind. Sometimes you can see how small whirlwinds twist it into a dance. There is also an oasis among the sands - a small pine forest on the shore of a lake with clear water.

When you get tired of wandering through the Ukrainian desert, you can go further south, towards Skadovsk and the Dzharylgach Bay, and then even further west, to the village of Lazurne, from where you can get to the largest island of the Black Sea.

Dzharylgach Island

Dzharylgach is a spit, a narrow strip of land that cuts deep into the Black Sea. A kind of huge natural breakwater. On one side of Dzharylgach is the sea, on the other - the bay. Naturally, also Dzharylgatsky. The official status of Dzharylgach sometimes changes. Now it is an island. And get bored - turns into a peninsula. Dzharylgach is separated from the land by a narrow strait, which is periodically covered with sand.

Photo from uafacts.com

There is a cafe on the coast where you can taste fried stingrays, gobies, borscht and other delights of Ukrainian cuisine. On the opposite south side of the island - to the open sea - you can take a fascinating 45-minute walk on foot. The southern coast of Dzharylgach is a local resort area, where you can swim in the sea and sunbathe on the white sand.

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Should I not know where the steppes are? My youth was spent in the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine. After leaving school, he moved to Canada, the province of Quebec, and already in adulthood, at the call of his heart, he moved to Argentina. Everywhere on my life route there were boundless steppes. Scientists say that the steppe is a plain overgrown with herbaceous plants, located in a temperate climate zone. And I will tell you about the steppes that I saw personally, so similar and, at the same time, very different.

Where are the Ukrainian steppes

Most of Ukraine is steppe. It occupies the entire south of the country, to the Crimean mountains themselves. This region was called Tavria in the old days. The main part of the agrarian complex of the country is concentrated here. There was nothing left of the Wild Steppe that used to be at the time of the Cossacks (grass in some places exceeded the height of a horse with a rider). All lands are plowed under sunflower and wheat - the main agricultural crops. In summer, wherever you look, the fields turn yellow everywhere, as flat as a table. The eastern regions are also almost entirely steppe.

The Ukrainian steppe zone ends, smoothly moving from the forest-steppe center to the swamps and hills of Polissya.

Where to look for the steppe in Canada

The famous Canadian prairies are poignantly similar to the Ukrainian steppes: flat fields - to the horizon, only a little smoother road, cleaner roadsides and neater cute houses. Due to the colder climate of the region, the prairies are not so plowed. Many steppes have retained their original appearance. Cattle breeding is better developed here than in Ukraine. The Great Plains stretch from Lake Winnipeg in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.

Prairie provinces:

• Albert;
• British Columbia;
• Manitoba;
• Saskatchewan.

Argentine steppe

In the east of the country, the Pampas stretch to the very ocean. The plains that reach the border with Uruguay do not end there. The entire territory of a small neighbor of the "silver" country is covered with a flat, without a single pebble, green plain.

If not for the occasional ostriches and subtropical climate, the Argentine steppe could be confused with its European and North American counterparts.

The Ukrainian steppe nature reserve is interesting because its territory consists of four different areas of steppe vegetation. That is, each site has its own, special type of steppe landscapes. Just imagine the endless steppes that stretch for tens of kilometers ahead, so that there is no end in sight ... This can only be seen on the territory of Ukraine here. So, look, do not miss your chance.

The composition of the Ukrainian steppe reserve includes: Khomutovskaya steppe, Stone Graves, Cretaceous flora, Mikhailovskaya virgin lands. Let's see what is interesting about each of them. Well, firstly, the reserve itself is of great interest, as 14 species of feather grass grow here. This is the largest collection in the world. Agree, this is already very interesting and worth visiting the reserve.

So, Khomutovskaya steppe. This part of the reserve is best visited in the spring, because it is at this time of the year that the steppe blooms. Silver-blue feather grass fields are mixed with the rest of the herbs: sage, medicinal marshmallow, Tatar katran, flowery elm.

There is another interesting protected area in the Khomutovskaya steppe - a small tulip field. It has been researched and protected for about 30 years. But do not think that only steppe vegetation is represented here. It, of course, prevails, but there are also areas with meadow fields and reed beds in shallow water.

Stone graves are the most unique site not only in the steppe reserve, but throughout Ukraine. Stone graves are several ridges of granite rocks, which, in fact, are outcrops of crystalline rocks of the Ukrainian Shield. An extremely interesting object, both from the point of view of geology and from a historical point of view.

This place is covered with legends. According to the first legend, the famous “battle on the Kalka” took place on this territory, the participants of which were the soldiers of Prince Mstislav Romanovich and the Tatars. Well, the second legend says that the Scythian kings are buried under the Stone Graves. Like it or not, it's up to you to believe these legends or not, but it's definitely worth visiting this picturesque place.

Stone Graves is a very interesting object in terms of flora. Here grow such relics as granite feather grass, granite tulip, Pallas hyacinth, and the surface of the rocks themselves is covered with mosses and lichens.

The territory of the Cretaceous Flora site is located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River. Rare vegetation on Cretaceous rocks is perfectly preserved here. You don't see that often. The territory is predominantly occupied by forests. The name "Cretaceous" comes from the Cretaceous rocks - deposits that were formed about 100 years ago.

Mikhailovskaya virgin lands are no less interesting steppe area than the others. The uniqueness of the territory lies in the fact that its lands are unplowed. The second feature of the reserve is that whenever you come here, the steppe will always be different due to different plants. Blackthorn thickets will surprise you with their extraordinary beauty, and herbs with dizzying aromas.

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Ukrainian State Steppe Reserve created in 1961 by merging three independent steppe reserves. The total area of ​​​​the reserve is 1688.4 hectares, including the Mikhailovskaya virgin lands - 202f4 g "a, the Khomutovskaya steppe - 1030 hectares, Stone Graves - 456 hectares.
Mikhailovskaya virgin land.

The reserve is divided into three separate sections: Mikhailovskaya virgin lands, Khomutovskaya steppe and Stone Graves forb-feather grass steppes.

Mikhailov virgin lands located at the junction of the Left-Bank-Dnieper and Central Russian forest-steppe regions. This is a unique part of the reserve with a peculiar meadow-steppe vegetation and fauna. Khomutovskaya steppe and Stone Graves are located in the northeast of the Azov region within the boundaries of the steppe natural zone.

Mikhailov virgin lands It is characterized by a significantly developed stratum of sedimentary rocks of various ages, resting on a deep-lying crystalline basement. The most ancient rocks approaching the surface and sometimes underlying loess are chalk outcrops.
This entire area is hydroglacial loess plain, dissected by shallow beams. The site of the reserve itself is a low hill, gradually descending to the beams.

Climate Mikhailovskoye virgin soil is moderately continental. Compared to other regions of Ukraine, the winter here is the coldest, the summer is moderately warm without droughts.

There are no rivers or reservoirs. The soil cover is dominated by medium-humus chernozems underlain by loess.

By the nature of the vegetation cover, this part Ukrainian steppe reserve belongs to the northern forb grass steppes. There are 503 species of vascular plants here. Of these, 3 species belong to the desert-steppe, to the steppe - 82, to the meadow-steppe - 89, to the meadow - 142, to the meadow-forest and forest - 70, to the meadow-bog - 47, to aquatic macrophytes - 7, to weeds - 63 species. 7 species of trees, 10 - shrubs, 8 - semi-shrubs grow on the reserved area. The most widely represented are the multi-colored brandushka, broad-leaved lumbago, meadow sage, mountain clover, common meadowsweet, sickle-shaped alfalfa.

In contrast to the southern steppe reserves, there are much fewer indigenous steppe animals in the Mikhailovskaya virgin lands. Small rodents mainly live here, the field mouse settlements are especially dense. Jumping jerboas (ground hares) are found at dusk.

The territory of the Khomutovskaya steppe from east to west it is dissected by the Klimushanskaya, Brandtovskaya, Krasny Yar and their branches; the northern border of the protected steppe runs along the thalweg of the Obolonskaya beam. The slopes of the ravines are symmetrical. At Krasny Yar they are quite steep, for a considerable distance they are stony. At Klimushanskaya and Obolonskaya beams the slopes are gentle, and only in the extreme lower part of their steepness increases somewhat. The slopes of the Brandtovskaya beam within the reserve are asymmetric, the northern ones are higher and steeper, mostly stony, the southern ones are gentle, with a well-developed soil cover.

Climate The Azov coastal plain has well-defined features of continentality, however, there is a noticeable softening effect of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. Winter is relatively short, moderately cold, spring is windy, cool - morning frosts are common.
The soil cover of the reserve is dominated by ordinary chernozems, medium-thick and thick low-humus, medium- and slightly alkaline, clayey and heavy-loamy.

According to the nature of the vegetation Khomutovskaya steppe refers to the xerotic variant of forb-feather grass steppes. The flora of the Khomutovskaya steppe includes 561 species of vascular plants, including 12 desert-steppe, 180 steppe, 45 stony-steppe, 100 meadow-steppe, 93 meadow, 29 meadow-forest, 21 meadow-bog, 8 - water, 73 - weed. Over 80 endemic species and species with a broken range. New Ascanian, Ukrainian and pale astragalus, bristly trinia, feather grass wheatgrass, Pallas hyacinth, Scythian gorse, Scythian caragana, Chernyaev flax, short-headed yurena, Ukrainian feather grass, etc. grow here.

In the composition of the vegetation of the Khomutovskaya steppe, a clearly expressed combination of soddy- and rhizome-grass phytocenoses is observed. The leading place in the composition of turf-grass communities is occupied by feather grass of Lessing and tyrsa associated with fescue furrowed and Welsh.

The modern fauna of the steppe reserve is significantly depleted. The main (background) animals of the virgin steppe - rodents-diggers. Common and numerous are gray ground squirrels that emerge from their deep burrows in early spring. The thin jerky whistle of a gopher enlivens the steppe at sunrise. Everywhere you can see them sitting in a column, running across or quietly grazing. Of the mouse-like rodents, social and common voles predominate, feeding on grass and in some years breeding in large numbers. Less common are the barrow check mouse and the steppe mouse.

Numerous rodents serve as a food base for predatory mammals. Nowhere there are so many foxes as in the Khomutovskaya steppe. They hunt at dusk, but often during the day they go to poke around on the arable land adjacent to the reserve. There are also graceful weasels and ferrets, several packs of wolves live here.

Due to the large number of small animals quite rich bird world reserve. Rooks, magpies, crows, gray partridges, and sparrows are found here all year round. In the steppe, steppe, field and crested larks nest in abundance, as well as a lot of gray partridge, the number of which, however, varies greatly. There is a significant number of millet, black-headed bunting, shrikes - shrike and black-fronted are common.

On the territory of Stone Graves two ridges stretch from the northwest to the southeast, separated by a hollow. Climate branch is moderately continental, tk. it is influenced by the proximity of the Sea of ​​Azov and fluctuations in altitude. The soil cover on the territory of this part of the reserve is mainly black earth.

Flora of Stone Graves quite diverse in vascular plants. According to the latest data of biologists, there are about 500 species, among which the most common are steppe, meadow, forest and weed species. Let us note a number of northern plants - Leers' rush, spring rattle, goose onion, winged buzzard - they grow far from their usual places of distribution.

Several types of ferns: Geifler's ossicles, alpine woodsia, brittle bladderwort, male and prickly thorn ferns are widely used here. Tree and shrub vegetation in the reserve is represented by numerous species of wild roses, in particular, blackthorn and joster growing on the slopes of the hills. In the hollows between the ridges, blackberries, aspen forests and Chernyaev's euonymus grow abundantly.

Animal world departments are scarce. Outcrops of granites and other crystalline rocks, the weakness of chernozem soils cannot create favorable conditions for the diversity of species. Therefore, there are no ungulates in the Ukrainian Steppe Reserve. The range of foxes that find shelter in granite rocks and crevices looks quite strong. A large number of rodents provides a stable diet. There are not many hare hares and common hedgehogs in Stone Graves.

Variety of birds there are more than mammals in the reserve. Seasonal birds nest here: larks, buntings. In open steppe areas, gray partridge and quail are found. Especially a lot of songbirds nest in the eastern part of the reserve, in thickets of bushes. Among the songbirds, one can distinguish gray and hawk warblers and shrike.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the studies of flora and fauna in Ukrainian State Steppe Reserve, made it possible to identify a number of rare plants and animals that were not previously reported for these places. Each of the branches of the Ukrainian steppe reserve is a valuable monument of virgin steppe vegetation, especially since such steppes as Streltsovskaya and Khomutovskaya, is not preserved anywhere. This circumstance emphasizes the scientific and environmental value of the reserves.